Planning Your Babymoon During the Zika Outbreak

From whether you need travel insurance (and who offers it) to how travel companies handle health-related trip changes, what you need to know to plan your babymoon.

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One of the perks of being pregnant? An excuse to take one last final hurrah before baby arrives: a relaxing babymoon with your partner. However circumstances can always come up — especially when you’re pregnant and traveling — that could require you to cancel your trip. That’s even more true since the start of the Zika outbreak, with knowledge about the virus’ whereabouts, spread and effects changing daily. All of which is why it’s more important than ever to understand travel insurance and cancellation policies. Here’s what you need to know to plan a worry-free babymoon during the Zika outbreak.

What is travel insurance?

Like other insurance, travel insurance is an optional policy you can pay for upfront that reimburses you for unexpected occurrences (when you have to cancel your trip, cut it short, have a medical emergency or need medical evacuation). It’s available through travel insurance agencies, airlines, cruise lines, travel agents, online brokers, travel booking sites and some credit cards — more on that below.

What does insurance cover during pregnancy?

What a policy does and doesn’t cover varies depending on the plan you purchase.

Most policies exclude “normal pregnancy” as a covered reason to cancel a trip, and they also don’t cover the costs of normal childbirth while traveling. That means that you can’t just cancel your pre-baby cruise and get a refund because of morning sickness or back pain, and your insurance won’t foot the bill if you go into labor on your trip. A small number of policies, however, do name normal pregnancy as a covered reason for a trip cancellation — but conception has to have occurred after you bought the policy (and you’ll need to provide a note from your doctor saying so).

Generally, what travel insurance does cover are pregnancy complications. So, for instance, if you’re diagnosed with preeclampsia and need immediate hospitalization a week before your planned flight to the Bahamas, your insurer would likely reimburse you for the losses (plane ticket, hotel reservations, etc.) as long as you can offer documentation from your doctor.

Will my insurance cover a cancellation because of Zika?

As you’re likely well aware by now, experts including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise pregnant women to avoid traveling to areas affected by Zika due to the causal link between infection during pregnancy and microcephaly in babies. So if you’ve already made plans to travel to what has since became a Zika hot zone (or if you’re considering traveling to an area that could potentially become affected by Zika), you may wonder if there’s any way to cancel or delay the trip and recoup your losses. As of right now, Zika is treated as any other illness on your policy. Which means that emergency care, evacuation and trip interruption are covered if you contract the virus while traveling, but cancellation because you’re traveling to an area affected by Zika likely won’t be covered.

If, however, you have a policy with a “Cancel for Any Reason” (CFAR) option, it allows you to get a refund for anything at all, including what’s not covered by your base plan (whether it’s because you’re trying to avoid an area hit by Zika or you simply change your mind). CFAR plans do cost a bit more and have their own restrictions (for instance, some reimburse only a percentage of the total loss), so be sure to read the policy and its fine print.

So should I get travel insurance?

Since there are many things — not just Zika — that could interrupt your trip (or shelve it completely), spending a little extra for travel insurance probably makes financial sense.

A few places you can get it:

Credit cards. Some credit cards offer travel-related insurance, such as reimbursement for lost luggage, rental car protection, trip cancellation and emergency travel assistance as long as you charge the travel purchases to the card. Coverage is usually not as extensive as that provided by a full insurance plan. Not all credit cards offer travel insurance, and the benefits vary between issuers, so check your card’s online policies to see what yours covers.

Online travel booking sites. When you book any part of a trip through an online booking site, you’ll likely be offered travel insurance or “protection.” These are less expensive than going directly through a travel insurance agency or travel agent, but they often don’t have as many options, and coverage is usually less comprehensive.

Online brokers. These websites (like InsureMyTrip.com) have many different insurance carriers, so it’s easy to comparison shop. On some sites, you have to type in your travel information and get insurance options. Others allow you to select the areas of coverage you’re interested in and then provide a list of options that fit the bill.

Where you’re booking your travel. Purchasing insurance from the travel supplier (tour operator, cruise line or airline) may be less expensive. However in the (often unlikely) case that the supplier goes bankrupt, the insurance will likely be obsolete. And usually, the insurance only covers when you’re on the ship, tour or plane, which means you’ll likely be out of luck if something happens on the way to or from, or during a different part of, your trip.

Directly from insurers. A big perk of purchasing directly from an insurer (like AIG, Allianz or CSA) is that there is no middleman, which can be helpful when you’re looking for fast and accurate information about policies. A downside is it can be a lot of work to shop insurance providers directly.

Travel agents. Travel agents sometimes only work with one or two insurers, so you may not have as many options. But because they do work with so few, they’re likely to be well-informed about the plans’ details. A potential downside: Because travel agents receive a commission on the plans they sell, they may try to sell you a policy that earns a higher commission rather than one that’s best for your needs.

According to the US Travel Insurance Association (UStiA), travel insurance usually costs between 4 and 8 percent of the total trip. It is based on the policyholder’s age, the length of the trip and the destination. So for a trip that costs $4,000, it would add an estimated $160-$320 onto your bill. Not cheap, but certainly better than losing the entire amount you’ve put down.

Babymoon planning tips

Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you’re planning your babymoon, especially during the Zika outbreak:

Purchase travel insurance ASAP. The UStiA says it’s best to purchase travel insurance at the same time you book your trip, since some benefits (like coverage for pre-existing conditions and “cancel for any reason” coverage) are generally only available when the insurance is purchased and within a certain time of making an initial trip deposit.

Read the policy and ask questions. Whether you’re buying a policy for your babymoon only or you travel often and have an annual travel insurance policy already, take the time to read (or reread) the full policy to see what is and isn’t covered. If you have questions or something is unclear, contact your insurer.

Locate medical facilities. Make sure you have the phone numbers and addresses of hospitals in every location you’ll be visiting (a good idea any time you travel away from home and especially when you’re expecting).

Avoid bug bites. If you’re going to any area where mosquitoes are common, it’s important to take precautions to avoid bites to lower the risk of infections:

Stay indoors during peak times of mosquito activity (usually dawn and dusk, though Zika and similar viruses like dengue are spread during the day)

Use insect repellent: Repellents containing EPA-registered active ingredients such as DEET and picaridin are considered safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women

Wear protective clothing (such as long-sleeve shirts, pants and socks) that are preferably permethrin-treated (you can also treat your clothes yourself, as long as you keep the formula away from your skin)

Current travel company policies on Zika

Already booked a trip to a place affected by Zika? The good news is that many travel providers are allowing pregnant women to reschedule, switch destinations or get refunds. Keep in mind that these policies only apply to trips that have already been booked; in the future, policies about trips to Zika-affected areas may change. So if you’re still planning your vacation, it’s best to opt for a babymoon in areas that aren’t likely to be affected by the Zika outbreak.

Here are the guidelines of a few top companies for expectant customers; note that companies will require a doctor’s note confirming your pregnancy:

Airlines

United: Change destination or travel date of pregnant women and their travel companions without a change fee or receive a refund.

American Airlines: Expectant mothers and their travel companions who are scheduled to travel to a destination in Latin America can request a refund.

Southwest Airlines: Customers can always change their travel itineraries without a change fee (and non-refundable fares can be applied toward future travel) as long as the reservation is cancelled 10 minutes prior to the scheduled flight departure.

Cruises

Carnival Cruise Line: Pregnant women can switch to an itinerary in an unaffected area or cancel and receive credit for a future cruise.

Royal Caribbean: Will provide alternate itinerary options, which may include providing guests with a future cruise credit valid for two years.

Norwegian Cruise Lines: Pregnant women can reschedule their cruise for a future date or change their itinerary to non-affected destinations.

Disney Cruise Lines: Pregnant women should reach out to the cruise line to discuss rescheduling.

Hotels and Lodging

Very few hotels have publicly addressed their cancellation policy related to the Zika virus. If you’ve already paid for your stay and need to cancel or reschedule, it’s best to contact the hotel or resort as soon as possible to discuss your options.

Updated on August 31, 2016

From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You're Expecting. Health information on this site is based on peer-reviewed medical journals and highly respected health organizations and institutions including ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists), CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics), as well as the What to Expect books by Heidi Murkoff.

The material on this website is provided for educational purposes only and is not to be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, or in place of therapy or medical care. Use of this site is subject to our terms of use and privacy policy.